While hundreds of new big boxes are built each year, hundreds are also vacated. But, at 150,000 square feet or more, large format stores are difficult to re-purpose due to their size and massing, and often closed stores become derelict, sitting empty and overgrown while setting a precedent for an area’s decline. Couldn’t there be a more productive use—and better return—for abandoned big boxes? What could that look like today—and 50 years out?
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How about and Indoor skate park with mixed use retail/food court around the periphery all aimed at the typical mall kids.
ReplyDeleteAngela
Sounds good. In Chicago in the mid-'90s, an undeveloped square block along State Street-right in the Loop-became an outdoor ice rink for a time. It was great. Skate on State. Nice to stop there and skate for a while before heading to the trains after work.
ReplyDeleteThey will make great thrift stores. It seems that there is a trend towards buying second hand clothing and it is a thriving market.
ReplyDeleteYep, they'd make a great Goodwill location. Also, one great premise of the team's idea was to create a diverse, mixed-use function from The Box. How about a Goodwill upstairs with a roller rink below? "All skate, everybody skate..." Restaurant? Newsstand? Coffeeshop. Small grocer.
ReplyDeleteHow about re-using them for gaming/social club purposes – like Puma (yep, the shoe company) is experimenting with right now?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.puma.com/social/events/puma-social-club-la
Susan
Is the question not as much what the big box can be because with that amount of space there are unlimited possibilities but what does the community need it to be? How can the abandon space best benefit the community and become a vibrant part of its growth and/or rebirth? SR
ReplyDeleteI saw a children's private school take over a previous furniture store here in Bellevue.
ReplyDeleteI also saw an old warehouse turned into an indoor soccer field in Woodinville. I think it is Arena Sports?
It could also be used as a Farmer's Market- I saw that done to an abandoned Grocery Store in Hawaii.
What about indoor parks, especially in cities where the weather isn't that great most of the year? Playground equipment, mini-trails, volleyball courts, picnic areas, etc. I bet parents would pay for that just so they wouldn't have to purchase a Happy Meal every time their kid need to work off a little excess energy. Plus you could rent it out for events.
ReplyDeleteSingle floor architectural offices with limitless charrette space, virtual labs, and paintball arenas!!!
ReplyDeleteGary
Oh yeah and a professional putting course (no windmills).
Indoor volleyball courts!! Depending upon the city there are a number of volleyball clubs and regions looking space. Frequently, I’m involved in conversations about finding a building and converting it into indoor volleyball courts. Right now year round player demand is far greater than available court space.
ReplyDeleteLisa
Since few of the big box stores clear span there isn't much hope to turn them into sports venues. We see a few convert to Early Childhood Learning Centers (ECLC) and Churches. Both these university seem to work well in this type of structure so perhaps instead of continuing to build up all these and K-12 campus' we could just do TI's at a much reduced cost to convert these old big box stores into learning environments.
ReplyDelete